Study: 'Saw Palmetto' Is Not Effective Treatment For Enlarged Prostate

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is the medical term for an enlarged prostate. Men with BPH find themselves waking up many times to during the evening having to urinate. Or if they go on a long drive they have to take frequent restroom stops.

There are medications out there to treat it but for the two million men who suffer from it there is a dietary supplement called "Saw Palmetto" which has been used over the years. Many claims have been about Saw Palmetto including the fact it can not only help with BPH but lead to a better sex life.

Now a new study has taken a look at Saw Palmetto and it finds that it is no better than a placebo.  Essentially the only thing that will shrink from men taking Saw Palmetto is the size of their wallet.

Reported by Dr. Brian McDonough, KYW Newsradio